USGBC Announces First European LEED City
The U.S. Green Building Council, along with Green Business Certification Inc., have announced that Savona, Italy, is the first LEED-certified city in Europe.
Savona was recently awarded LEED Gold certification through USGBC’s LEED for Cities program, which combines sustainability, social equity and human experience with technology and analytics and is based on LEED requirements.
“We are proud to be recognized as Europe’s first LEED city,” said Mayor Ilaria Caprioglio of Savona. “Our commitment is toward shaping a sustainable and resilient urban environment and a safe and equitable society. We believe that LEED for Cities is the instrument to grow awareness about cities’ actual performance and future outcome and to support decision makers.”
According to the USGBC, LEED for Cities provides cities with a framework for measuring and managing the performance of water consumption, energy use, human experience, waste and transportation.
“GBCI Europe and USGBC share a vision that buildings and communities will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation,” said Kay Killmann, managing director of GBCI Europe.
"And we know that in order to realize a sustainable future for all, the next generation of green building must focus on the development of smart cities and resilient communities. Savona is now the first LEED city in Europe, championing equitable, safe and healthy development policies; implementing interoperable platforms and advanced technologies that improve the performance of the city; and incorporating concepts like wellness and human experience into city planning, development and management.”
Savona set several projects in motion, including implementing high air-quality standards, and the University of Genoa Savona Campus developed a state-of-the art smart polygeneration microgrid combined with a smart energy building. City officials have also set low-carbon goals that will be instrumental in driving the whole city’s transformation into a low-impact urban center.
Cities pursuing LEED certification are evaluated across 14 metrics, including energy, waste, water, transportation, education, health, safety and equitability. Cities submit data using Arc, the digital performance platform that generates a performance score between 0-100 reflecting the outcomes of a city’s strategies. Savona now joins two other LEED-certified cities: Washington, D.C., and Phoenix.
